Creating an Original Character
by viktoriapotter
Summary: Whether you just write for fun or your trying to start writing a book of your own, characters are an essential part of any story. And to get a good story or book going, you need to develop good characters, but more importantly, you need to get to know your characters. I am here to save the world of fanfiction.
1. Chapter 1

Have you ever heard the saying "a character can either make or break your story"? Alright, so you've got a basic plot of the story, you know a little bit about the world your character is living in, and now all you need are your characters. And not just any character - no, these have to be the most original, the most interesting characters your reader will ever come across.

Well, that sure is something all writers want. And yet, how is that most stories have the same heroes and villains generated over and over again? We've got the kid who is suffering from amnesia and just _happens_ to be part of the royal family, the _unwilling hero_ who is brave, handsome, and selfless, the girl who is _very_ beautiful and excellent at _everything_, and then there is also the _evil overload_ type of villain cackles maniacally every time things go his way.

Enough, don't you thing? We want to see something new!

But before I get into that, I would like to put a quick disclaimer.

**Disclaimer:** I am not saying that I know everything about writing. In fact, I am just saying (writing?) this from my own personal experience. I ma just a teen like most of you, with my own ideas on how to help you improve writing a story with an OC character. I am sure that a few of my suggestions will be shut down by some of you, and that's fine. Take what you like, and ignore what you don't. I do encourage you to add your own ideas seeing as that's what the review button is for, after all.

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**The Basic of Characters: **

**1. **Listen to them! If you manage to create a good character, she will practically come to life. She will have her own opinions and demands, and if she doesn't want to fall in love with a certain character, don't force her into it. She'll be unhappy, you will be unhappy, and so will be your readers. She might even hit you over the head with a strong dose of Writer's Block for it. Your character know who they are, so try to keep an open mind to their suggestions.

**3. **Exaggerate them. If he is egocentric, make him _really _egocentric. Your character will feel _more _real if he is actually _less _real. As a reader, we like to label a character, and if he have on or two defining characteristics , it make is easier for us.

**4. **When I talk about characteristics and unique traits, I don't mean that she has this really weird birthmark or he has silver eyes. Other writers had said it before and I'm going to say it again: if you're trying to breathe originality into your character, strange features are a big no-no. If you do give your character green hair just because you think it looks cool, you have to rethink your character. Instead of that, give him a crooked smile, lots of freckles, or a really big nose.

**5. **Don't let your character be perfect. Ever. That's another big no-no. Character need flaws. They need to be imperfect, with quirks, fears and obsessions. They need a weakness.

**6. **Let your character be special for who she _is_ and what she _does_, not who she is related to or because she is destined to save the world. Id she is heading to save the world, she should be doing it because she has a personal reason to. If some old Seer tell her that she is the only one that can save the world, she will probably say "To hell with that, I am going to stay home and hope that the whole thing is just rubbish".

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**Okay, so, chapter uno is ready and I hope I helped you at least a little bit. I also want to say that I am planing on continuing with "Another Time" I just have no clue how to start the next chapter. Anyway, if any of you have some question - feel free to leave them in a review or send me a private message! BTW, the next chapter will be about different types of personalities! **

**_xx viktoriapotter_**


	2. Chapter 2

Have you ever heard the saying "a character can either make or break your story"? Alright, so you've got a basic plot of the story, you know a little bit about the world your character is living in, and now all you need are your characters. And not just any character - no, these have to be the most original, the most interesting characters your reader will ever come across.

Well, that sure is something all writers want. And yet, how is that most stories have the same heroes and villains generated over and over again? We've got the kid who is suffering from amnesia and just _happens_ to be part of the royal family, the _unwilling hero_ who is brave, handsome, and selfless, the girl who is _very_ beautiful and excellent at _everything_, and then there is also the _evil overload_ type of villain cackles maniacally every time things go his way.

Enough, don't you thing? We want to see something new!

But before I get into that, I would like to put a quick disclaimer.

**Disclaimer:** I am not saying that I know everything about writing. In fact, I am just saying (writing?) this from my own personal experience. I ma just a teen like most of you, with my own ideas on how to help you improve writing a story with an OC character. I am sure that a few of my suggestions will be shut down by some of you, and that's fine. Take what you like, and ignore what you don't. I do encourage you to add your own ideas seeing as that's what the review button is for, after all.

* * *

**Types of Personality Flaws: **

These are just a few of my personal favourites to give you an idea of what you can add to your character. I assure you that there are loads more out there, and everyone has their own favourite. Use more then one! A character can't be just awkward.. let her be clumsy and sarcastic, too.

- _Sarcastic or cynical._Maybe it's just me, but I am a sucker for guys who are always insulting everyone in a very funny way. Though, I would recommend to try to decide _why_ your character is that way. What makes him moody and bitter in his humour? Maybe something happened in the past that make him insult everyone? Or maybe he is afraid of relationships or wary of trust?

- _Egocentric._Let your character think that she is better than everyone else. If someone can do it, _she _can do it better. She is also much more intelligent than everyone, and, of course, the most beautiful. She is fun to write and fun to read, because we just love to hate her.

- _Easily fascinated._I just love a character who will stare at the balloons forever and delights at a passing butterfly. They are flaky, they are shallow, they are generally useless, but they are _so _funny read about. They say the most random things and don't know when to shut up.

- _Fierce and hot-tempered._I will admit that this one is becoming a bit overdone, but I still enjoy both writing and reading about a girl who is more likely knock you out than allow you to rescue her. Another thing is that, a fierce girl _is _a lot more fun to write than the usual damsel-in-distress. Hot-tempered guys are great, too - maybe he is easily provoked or loses his temper at the mention of his father? But don't overdo it - the readers can get really annoyed about your characters constant angst.

- _Mysterious._I do have to say that you have to be careful with this one, but sometimes it's interesting to have a character who you can't predict and who's actions you don't understand. It can get annoying, though - so like I said, be careful.

- _Hyperactive or flamboyant._ A character that never seems to run out of energy or question can be amusing. Maybe he have an obsession with trying to get the other characters to dance with him. This one is also fun if you gender-role-reverse. Guys who are easily excitable and like to give big sloppy kisses don't come along to often, and we love to laugh at their antics.

- _Melodramatic._ The drama queen (or king). This is a character who exaggerates everything and makes tiny events seem like huge catastrophes. She's fun to write and fun to read. This is the character who jumps to conclusions and think that everything is way funnier than it _really_ is.

- _The bully._ Personally, I like a guy that pushes everyone around. He think he's cool, but maybe he's secretly insecure. A good example would be Sirius Black and James Potter form the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling.

- _The nerd._ Okay, so it's fun to have a girl who rattles of physics equations in the middle of battle and tries to predict events based on scientific calculations.. especially if she's wrong and no one ever listens to her. Another variation of the nerd could be the kid who is rather the swot and always likes to be right.

- _Accident prone._ She screws things up because she trips over her own feet. She's clumsy. SHe drops everything. She gets in the way, and she can't be stealthy no matter how hard she tries.

- _Forgetful or absent-minded._ He is sort of dim, gets teased a lot, put his shoes on the wrong feet. Perhaps he's brilliant but can't remember more than two things at once. He can't remember why he's in the kitchen or where he put his glasses.

- _Compulsively lies._ She rarely tells the truth. Lies are much more interesting - and it's not _really _lying, it's just a form of acting. She might give her companions wrong directions and efter a while the others don't trust her much. Maybe she doesn't tell the truth until it really matters, and then no one believes her.

- _Awkward._ He's nervous and a little paranoid and doesn't know what to do with himself when girls are involved. He may trip over over his own tongue or have word vomit.

- _A hypochondriac._ This character is convinced that she's dying. A splinter becomes life-threatening, and she cannot travel if she has bruised her knee. Occasionally she crashed in to hard surfaces 'on accident' and sustains grievous injuries. She always think she's ill or coming down with something contagious.

- _Anything that ends in -iac__._

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**Alright, sorry for the long wait you guys! I know it's been ages since I updated both this and my other story - but believe me when I tell you that I had a lot going in, both in school and private life. Hope you like this chapter - the next one will probably be about Cliches (what NOT to do). **

**_xx viktoriapotter_**


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